Chapter 1

• My body burned like I was trapped inside a furnace, flames licking every inch of my skin from the inside out. No matter how tightly I wrapped my arms around myself, I couldn’t stop the heat or the ache. And yet, somehow, even in the middle of that fever dream, I felt him his hands, his breath, the way he touched me like he was trying to both ruin and rescue me.
• I held on to that cold, marble chest like my life depended on it. Maybe it did. Maybe I just needed to believe that someone, anyone, could save me from my past, from my future, from myself.
• Pain bled into pleasure, sharp and overwhelming. Every nerve in my body lit up like fireworks exploding behind my eyelids. I wasn’t sure if I was drowning or floating. Just that he was there. And I wanted more.
• Then
• A firm pressure on my shoulder pulled me back.
• “Hey, wake up… It’s freezing. You’ll catch a cold.”
• I gasped and sat up, the remnants of the dream clinging to me like smoke. My heart thudded in my chest, wild and uneven. My eyes locked on the nurse leaning over me, concern etched into her face. I blinked, embarrassed as heat rushed to my cheeks. God, I must’ve fallen asleep in the waiting room again.
• That dream… or memory, whatever it was, haunted me more than I wanted to admit. One night. One drunken, reckless night with Jason, and it wouldn’t leave me alone.
• I didn’t even remember all of it. Just fragments. Hands on my hips. His breath in my ear. The way he’d whispered my name like it meant something.
• But most of all, I remembered how safe I’d felt.
• Which was a lie. Nothing about Jason was safe. Especially not now.
• The nurse handed me a folder. “You forgot these your checkup results. Dr. Zhang wants to see you again next week.”
• I forced a polite smile and took the envelope, tucking it carefully into my purse like it was fragile glass. Inside it were numbers and notes, medical codes that all translated to one undeniable truth:
• I was seven months pregnant.
• And the father? He was a ghost. A memory. A man who lived a world away.
• Jason was still overseas last I heard, he’d been hiding out somewhere in Southern Europe. A temporary exile, they said. Some business deal gone sideways. But we both knew better. He was running from something.
• Or someone.
• I hadn’t heard from him in months, not until I’d finally found a way to contact him. A secure line, encrypted. We spoke for two minutes. He sounded… stunned. Distant.
• And now, tonight, he was finally coming back.
• My fingers trembled slightly as I stepped out of the hospital. The sun was brutal, high and merciless, but the heat couldn’t compare to the storm swirling inside me.
• Would he even want this child? Would he want me?
• I’d been the one to reach out. The one to break the silence. The one to say, Hey, I’m carrying your baby.
• And he’d said nothing at first. Just silence, thick and cold.
• The doctor told me not to worry. That men took time to adjust to fatherhood. That it wasn’t unusual for them to be distant at first.
• But this wasn’t just distance.
• This was the mafia.
• This was power, blood, legacy. Jason didn’t belong to a normal world, and neither did I anymore.
• I glanced down at my growing belly, cradling it instinctively.
• I didn’t know what tonight would bring. Whether he’d come back as the man I remembered, or the cold stranger I’d heard over the phone.
• But one thing was certain my life, our child’s life, was no longer just mine to protect.
• And in this world?
• That could mean everything.
• Or nothing at all.
• My back ached, and the weight of the child inside me pulled on every part of my body. Seven months pregnant and moving like I was walking on broken glass, I held my belly with one hand and raised the other to hail a cab.
• But the moment I lifted my arm, I heard it the roar of an engine. Loud. Sharp. Dangerous.
• A flash of red tore down the street, speeding toward me like a bullet.
• My heart slammed into my ribs. I stumbled back on instinct, one hand flying to my stomach. Tires screeched against the pavement, burning rubber and fury filling the air. The car missed me by inches. Inches.
• The wind from it slapped my face like punishment.
• I stood frozen, chest heaving, staring at the crimson sports car as it jerked to a stop just beyond me. The world tilted, just slightly, like the universe had paused to ask Was that supposed to be it? Was this how I died?
• The driver’s door swung open with flair.
• And then she stepped out.
• Red dress. Red lips. Red blood behind her eyes.
• Vanessa.
• She moved like she was walking a runway, not a warpath. Her heels clicked sharply against the pavement, each step deliberate, predatory. Her perfect curls bounced as she sauntered toward me with the elegance of a queen and the cruelty of a snake.
• “Vanessa,” I whispered, rage and fear tangling in my throat. “Are you insane?”
• Her laugh sliced through me, low and mocking. Arms crossed over her chest, she tilted her head, peering down at me like I was something pathetic she’d stepped over.
• “What’s the matter?” she said sweetly. “Afraid I’ll crush that bastard in your belly?”
• I flinched, my arms automatically wrapping around my stomach. My blood ran cold. I took a step back, but she followed close, too close.
• “You’ve gone too far,” I said through gritted teeth. “Even for you.”
• She smirked, like she’d been waiting for this exact line. “Too far?” Her voice was syrupy with venom. “You’re the one who went too far. One drunk night with a stranger, and you think you can pin this baby on Jason? Really, Ava, even for you, that’s disgustingly shameless.”
• I blinked. Once. Twice.
• “No,” I said. “You’re lying. It was him. That night it had to be.”
• “Oh honey,” she laughed, tossing her head back with a gleam in her eyes that chilled me. “You really believe that? That the man who f*cked you that night was Jason?”
• The word hit me like a slap.
• I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
• Vanessa leaned in closer, her smile widening. “You’ve known Jason your whole life, haven’t you? Childhood sweethearts, blah blah blah. You talk like you know him better than anyone. But let me ask you something, Ava do you even know what his body looks like?”
• I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. The heat of the sun suddenly felt like ice crawling across my skin.
• Because now that she said it...
• That night… That night, I hadn’t seen his face clearly. My vision had been hazy, my body on fire, the world spinning from the alcohol and desire. I remembered touches. Strength. The way he handled me like he owned every piece of me. And I’d just… assumed.
• I’d convinced myself it was Jason.
• Because it was easier than the alternative.
• I thought he’d just changed. Grown stronger, rougher. I told myself it was him because the truth would’ve destroyed me.
• But now
• Now I felt it unraveling.
• My knees trembled as I clutched my stomach.
• “Who was it?” I whispered, more to myself than to her. “If it wasn’t him… who was it?”
• Vanessa just smiled.
• And walked away.
• She didn’t need to answer.
• Because deep down… part of me already knew.
• And that truth?
• That truth could burn this whole world down.